The Snow Maiden and Other Russian Tales

by Bonnie C. Marshall (Translator)

In this delightful collection, you'll find more than 30 Russian tales―animal tales, fairy tales, tales of everyday life, and tales of spirits and the supernatural. You'll discover new renditions of familiar and beloved tales, as well as a number of obscure spirit tales, which were officially ignored by the Soviets. There are tales for all ages and tastes―funny stories, scary stories, and stories to make you think. In addition you'll find a fascinating overview of the country and its history, activity ideas and recipes, color photographs, and a list of recommended reading. An outstanding resource for educators, storytellers, and general readers, this is an essential addition to the folklore shelf in school and public libraries. Grades K-12.

Genres: Russia, Folklore

153 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Bonnie C. Marshall is an author, teacher, translator and folklorist educated at the Boston University, Assumption College, and the University of North Carolina as well as three Russian institutions: the Moscow State University, The Leningrad State University, and the Herzen Institute.
She taught Russian at several USA universities and English in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for the actual hardcover edition which at this time is not an edition option. (Thank you GR Librarians for correcting this).

Before reporting on several folk tales, a brief overview of Russia from geography and maps to history to Russian life and early years of folk tale collecting within Russia. Some gorgeous color photos of the people and life. Then the introduction to folk tales and classifications of such.

In this edition, the folk tales broken down into four sections:
Animal tales where the focus is an animal (obviously);
Fairy tales which has a human on a journey and tested - good is rewarded and evil is punished in the end;
Tales of everyday life are exactly that - depictions of everyday, common people in sometimes humorous situations; and lastly
Tales of Spirits and the Supernatural which are the helpful and/or cruel pagan spirits.

The book finalizes with a section on various activities that could tie into some of the folk tales ranging from decorations to a recipe to make 'runaway buns'. This is very obviously a teacher's and/or librarian's resource for not only relating Russian folk tales - nearly every story is two pages or less - but also includes additional recommended readings. This would also be an excellent resource for parents relating tales from ancestral homelands.

Not exactly what I was looking for when I borrowed it from the library but certainly an interesting read. This is also part of the World Folklore Series of which lists 13 different locations at the time of publication.

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[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's some fun recipes and activities that relate to the stories in the back of the book. :)

[Janet Chestnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a small book that only contained The Snow Maiden, written in both English and Russian. It is beautifully illustrated. It was published in 1992 in Moscow.

[Christine Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories used:
The Puff Monster
The Sun, the Moon, and Raven Voronovich

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially appreciated the introduction.

[Cordellya Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love folktales from different cultures, this is a great book to read.